The return to the Broken-Horn village was less of a triumphant march and more of a chaotic parade. Kael, still glistening from his bath and radiating enough heat to dry the mud around him, kept a firm, punishing grip on Fenris's collar. The silver wolf, despite his injuries, spent the entire walk making suggestive comments about the sway of Mei Lin's hips, earning himself a series of bone-deep snarls from the Alpha.
When they reached the center of the settlement—a collection of leaning, drafty huts that made Mei Lin's professional soul weep—the tribe's elders scurried forward.
"Divine One! Alpha!" an elderly goat-beastman bleated, his eyes wide with terror as he looked at the bloodied wolf. "A rogue? You bring a predator into our heart?"
"He's not a predator," Mei Lin said, checking her ruined jumpsuit and sighing. "He's an 88-rated labor force. Kael, put him in the most secure hut. And someone bring him more water. I've already patched him up; I don't want my investment dying of dehydration."
Kael grunted, shoving Fenris toward a group of wary guards. "If he moves, kill him," the Alpha commanded simply.
Fenris flashed Mei Lin a bloody, roguish grin before being dragged off. "I'll be dreaming of roses, sweetness! Don't let the big cat bore you to death!"
Kael's jaw tightened so hard Mei Lin heard his teeth grind. He turned to her, his amber eyes burning with a mix of frustration and a deep, burgeoning possessiveness. "The tribe is unsettled, Mei Lin. You bring a rogue, you speak of 'ratings'... and we still sleep in the dirt. How does this save us?"
Mei Lin stepped toward him, looking up at the massive, brooding man. "Patience is a virtue, Kael. But fortunately for you, I'm also allergic to waiting. System, activate the 'Comfortable Bedding' blueprint. Target: The Alpha's Hut."
[Ding! Blueprint 'Divine Nest' (Deluxe Edition) deploying. Cost: 50 Vitality Points. Estimated construction time: 3 seconds.]
"Everyone! Back away from Kael's hut!" Mei Lin shouted, waving her arms at the gathered crowd.
The beastmen scrambled back just as a blinding, golden light erupted from the Alpha's dilapidated shack. It wasn't the sound of hammers or saws; it was the hum of pure energy. The thatched roof shimmered, the crooked walls straightened, and the mud floor seemed to solidify into smooth, polished stone.
When the light faded, the tribe fell into a deathly silence.
Kael's hut was no longer a hut. It was a sturdy, stone-reinforced structure with a heavy, carved wooden door. But it was the interior that drew a collective gasp. Through the open doorway, the beastmen could see a massive platform raised off the floor. It was covered in layers of thick, plush furs—furs that looked softer than a cloud—and draped in shimmering, midnight-blue silk sheets that shouldn't have existed in this world.
"What... is that?" Kael whispered, his voice uncharacteristically small. He stepped toward the doorway, his nostrils flaring as he caught the scent of the room. It smelled of clean linen, warm stone, and the faint, lingering trail of Mei Lin's roses.
"That," Mei Lin said, stepping past him with a satisfied smirk, "is a bed. A real one. No more sleeping on dried grass and hope, Kael."
She walked into the hut, feeling the smooth, cool stone beneath her bare feet. The "Divine Nest" was enormous—easily eight feet wide, designed for someone of Kael's stature. She sat on the edge of it, testing the bounce. It was memory foam. Pure, unadulterated luxury.
"Come here," she commanded, looking back at the Alpha, who was standing in the doorway like he was afraid the floor might vanish.
Kael stepped inside, the heavy door clicking shut behind him. The space was intimate, lit by a soft, warm glow from the system-integrated wall sconces. In the dim light, Kael looked even more imposing, his black mane casting long shadows over his rippling chest.
"You made this," he said, his voice dropping into that low, vibratory rumble. "With a thought. You truly are a Goddess."
"I'm an interior designer with a very efficient budget," Mei Lin corrected, though she didn't move as he approached the bed.
Kael reached out, his large, calloused hand hovering over the silk sheets. When he finally touched them, his ears twitched in shock. "It is... like water. But warm."
He sat down next to her, the bed dipping under his massive weight. The proximity was electric. Mei Lin could feel the heat radiating off his thigh, the sheer physical presence of the man overwhelming the small room.
"The System says we need a bond, Kael," Mei Lin murmured, her voice losing its sarcastic edge. She reached out, her fingers tracing the line of a silver scar on his shoulder. "It says that for the tribe to truly grow, the Divine Mother and the Alpha must be... synchronized."
Kael turned to look at her, his golden eyes narrowing. He reached out, his hand cupping the back of her neck, his thumb stroking the sensitive skin behind her ear. The touch was possessive, heavy with a hunger he had been trying to suppress since she first touched his ears in the river.
"I do not know what 'synchronized' means," Kael rasped, pulling her an inch closer until their noses almost touched. "But I know that since you arrived, my blood has been a fever. I see you in the water. I see you touching that wolf. I want to roar until the mountains shake just so you will look only at me."
Mei Lin's heart hammered against her ribs. She could see the fine gold flecks in his eyes, the way his pupils were blown wide with desire. She reached up, her hands sliding over his chest, feeling the frantic thud of his heart.
"Then show me," she whispered. "Show me why you're a 92."
Kael didn't need a second invitation. He let out a low, rough sound—halfway between a growl and a sob of relief—and pressed his lips to hers.
It wasn't a gentle kiss. It was a collision. He tasted of wild honey and rain, his tongue sweeping into her mouth with a dominant, searching hunger that made Mei Lin's head spin. He tasted like a king claiming his territory.
He pushed her back onto the plush furs, his massive body looming over her, pinning her into the soft "Divine Nest." Mei Lin wrapped her legs around his waist, feeling the unyielding hardness of his thighs and the heavy, insistent pressure of his desire against her hip.
His hands were everywhere—tracing her curves, pulling at the zipper of her jumpsuit, his breath hot against her neck as he nipped at the sensitive junction of her shoulder.
"You are mine," he growled against her skin, his tail lashing the silk sheets behind them. "Divine or not, you are my female."
Mei Lin gasped, her fingers digging into the muscles of his back as a wave of pure, concentrated heat flooded her system. The tension was so thick it felt like a physical weight, a coiled spring ready to snap.
[Ding! Tension Level: 95%. Connection Strengthening.][System Warning: Host is approaching the 'First Bond' threshold. Point acquisition will be tripled upon completion.]
Mei Lin pulled his face back up to hers, her eyes hazy with lust. "Then prove it, Alpha. Make me believe it."
Kael's eyes flashed gold, his hand sliding down to the hem of her jumpsuit. But just as he began to pull the fabric aside, a sharp, rhythmic howling erupted from the center of the village.
It was the Wolf. And he sounded like he was laughing.
Kael froze, his head snapping toward the door, his ears pinned back in a snarl.
"That scavanger..." Kael hissed, the romantic tension shattering into a jagged edge of territorial fury.
Mei Lin groaned, falling back into the pillows as Kael sat up, his muscles tensed for a fight. So close, she thought, her body thrumming with unspent energy. I am definitely killing that wolf tomorrow.
[System Note: Interest Level - Kael: 80%. Tension Level: Unbearable.][New Task: Silence the Rogue. Reward: 'Privacy Ward' (Soundproofing) Blueprint.]
Mei Lin looked at the frustrated Lion Alpha and the heavy door. "Well, Kael," she sighed, adjusting her clothes. "It looks like our 'synchronization' is going to have to wait for a very necessary soundproofing upgrade."